What a great holiday season

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Wow!  This has been a great and super busy holiday season!  I've been super buried in knitting during the last week!

Today's the deadline for USPS priority shipping and I have the stack of packages by my door (and soon to be on the post office's counter) to prove it.

But never fear, orders placed after today will still make it by Christmas if you upgrade to express/overnight shipping!  In fact, every ready to ship item in my shop will be set up with express shipping as the default after my last post office run this afternoon (but if you want first class or priority shipping, just let me know).

Thanks to severe colds turned into bronchitis, California's week long storm (it's WET), etc., my family is putting off our Christmas gathering until January.  I'm bummed, but want everyone to be in good health and cheer and without the fear of driving in this insane weather.

What are your Christmas plans??

Awesomeness

It's been a rough and tough year, I won't lie. But lately, things are going so well that I stop to thank God multiple times throughout the day!

1. As of this week, my day job includes benefits.  Yay!
2. And my day job is part time, which allows me to continue Phydeaux (crucial through the holiday season!).  Yay!
3. The second said benefits are active ... I'm taking care of health business.  Yay!
4. I very nearly sold my Christmas tree this year, but knowing how very much I love Christmas trees, decided not to.  I love the lights - it's prestrung and wired.  As you can see above.  Yay!
5. I had the best Thanksgiving ever with my parents and brother - first one as an entire family in more than 10 years.  (How many people say that about Thanksgiving with the family?)  Yay!
6. I have new two new lines I'm preparing to debut for Phydeaux - totally new and different from what I've done previously - so excited!  Yay!
7. I have the absolutely most comfortable down comforter on the planet - I was worried that it might be bedraggled after being in storage - just in time for an early super cold spell in the Bay Area.  Yay!
8. I have the best customers ever - so many wonderful people who love handmade and love knitting -thank you thank you and yay!

What awesomeness is going on in your life lately???

How to be true to your vision

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As a designer, do you have a "vision" or a "version?"

I'm watching Project Runways finale tonight (yay - I've loved this season!) and am once again struck by how the designers this season are really focused on their design perspective and their own, unique vision.

I see a LOT of hand knits and knitting patterns each day.  From Etsy to Vogue Knitting to Twist Collective to Stitches West and beyond.  So many designs are really, really incredible.  Awe inspiring.  Original.  And many are ... The.  Same.  Exact.  Thing.

Oh, but wait, there's often a disclaimer:  "this is my version of (fill in the blank)."

When I was in junior high school, my VERY popular art teacher gave me a C in Art.  To get a great grade from this teacher, you had to allow him to draw on top of (redraw) your drawing.  And I wouldn't let him do that.  I didn't want my drawing to become his drawing.  I didn't want my drawing to no longer look like mine.  I didn't want it to look like everyone else's in the room.

Although I don't like or want to design things that look like everyone else's, it can be a challenge to know what my "look" or perspective is.  (I think this is a challenge for many creative types.)

So how do you know what your vision is and how do you stay true to it?

You'll have to come back tomorrow to find out!

In the meantime, I really do want to know your thoughts on this!  Share with us in the comments - how did your own tastes, perspective, aesthetic, etc. develop?  How do you stay true to it?  On the flip side, if you have no idea, what do you hope to learn about this?